"The Final Ride"

I took this picture on February 19, 2001 as we made our way home from Daytona. This was the day after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt. We listened to a traffic report from the traffic helicopter and he said that Dale’s hauler was going north on Interstate 85 in North Carolina and that nobody would pass him. As his hauler made its way up Interstate 85, we stopped to take this picture and I was amazed at what I saw! I looked back down the interstate and not a single vehicle would pass him! The traffic behind him was backed up over two miles! Everyone had their headlights on for as far as you could see. As he drove by us, there was a peace and quiet that I had never felt before. It sent chills up and down my spine. This picture was taken at about 4:30 PM as the sun was setting and I thought the sunlight reflecting off of the hauler made the time of day fit with the feeling of the moment. Yes, this was a tragedy but to see this show of respect, is something that I will never forget!

Steve James     2-19-01

The photo is 8x10 and comes in a hard plastic sleeve with the text on a separate sheet of paper. Ready for framing and matting. The plaque is a ready to hang, 12x15 board with an 8x10 photo. Each of the letters are laser engraved. A beautiful piece for that special race fan!   The framed picture is ready to hang, 12x15 with your choice of black or red mat, with an 8x10 photo. All photos and plaques sold will not have the "copyright protected" wording on them.

Thank you for taking the time to look at this picture and read the story behind it. My name is Steve James and I am one who got lucky enough to be in a position to take this picture. This was one of the most awesome things that I have ever seen! I was born and raised near Washington, DC and have seen a number of our country’s presidents funerals but I have never seen this many people in line showing this amount of respect!

When my family and I are at the racetracks and craft shows we talk to so many people about what we saw that day. It was a cold, bright and sunny day. We had spent the last ten days at Speedweeks in Daytona. When we left Daytona, we had the radio on, of course. As we traveled north on Interstate 95, none of the radio stations played music. Every station, and I mean every station, was broadcasting about the tragedy of Dale Earnhardt’s death the day before at the racetrack. Out of Florida, into and out of Georgia, thru South Carolina and finally into North Carolina, nothing but talk about “Black Sunday”.

So when we passed thru Charlotte, NC, we heard the traffic helicopter give his report on the radio and then he expressed to the DJ that “he wished everyone could see what he could see by being up in the air”! He was referring to the endless line of traffic lined up behind Dale’s hauler. When we heard that, I told my family that we should stop so that we could try and take a picture. We had a friend with us in Daytona who is from Nova Scotia, Canada and a huge Dale Earnhardt fan! Huge in two senses, one being he loved Dale and the other being that he is 6’4” and weighs nearly 300 pounds!

He, like many others, was reduced to tears and disbelief at what had happened at the track. He was so distraught that we had to physically force him out of the car into the restaurant to eat after the race! So, when the opportunity came up to take this picture, I thought it would be a nice gesture for my friend.

I took the picture with no intentions of ever selling it because it was just for my friend. It was taken with a 35mm box camera, nothing special except to point and shoot! The results of that day are seen in the picture. I guess the good Lord intended for me to get a great picture! I have been approached by professional photographers inquiring about what type of camera I used to get such a great shot. Nothing special, nothing expensive, just a simple point and shoot 35mm camera!

Well, when I showed it to other friends and acquaintances, everybody wanted one. “Can I buy one”? was asked of me more times than I can count!

So, that’s when I thought about “marketing” my picture. Before I ever sold the first picture, I made it a point to call an attorney and ask about the legalities of selling such a picture. I wanted to “do it” the right way so as to never cause the memory of Dale’s life to lose its dignity. The attorney instructed me what to do. I made the phone calls to the proper people and signed the proper forms to obtain the copyright to it. I was granted my copyright on August 13, 2002 from the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. It now is on file there for anyone to logon and see.

I didn’t sell the first picture until August, 2001, six months after Dale’s death. My purpose for waiting was a sign of respect. I waited because I wanted to do something nice for his fans as well as all NASCAR fans. I think I have done that and I hope that you do too, whether you were an Earnhardt fan or just a race fan.

Well, it took about a year before the first counterfeit pictures began to show up. And since then, other counterfeiters have made it into clocks, cheap plaques and more counterfeit copies! My picture is at approximately 26 of the 38 NASCAR races being sold legally and with my permission. So, chances are you have seen authentic copies and counterfeit copies at the racetrack and flea markets around the country and didn’t know the difference. It is my hope that you have purchased one of the authentic ones! The photos on this website are of mine, an authentic one and the counterfeit ones the way they are sold at the racetrack and flea markets. I wanted you to see the difference between the authentic ones and the counterfeit ones so if you had a chance to buy one, you would know the difference and recognize it.

COUNTERFEIT
AUTHENTIC

 

I would welcome any feedback and interest that you have in my picture. I can be reached at the address and numbers below. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or to report where the counterfeit ones are being sold. You may place orders with me, as well. We ship pictures and plaques out all the time to fans that never make it to the races and also to fans that do.

Every picture will be autographed and dated by me! I will also personalize it to whomever you choose!

Please logon to my candle website too! We make some awesome Dale and Dale Jr. candles as well as many different decorative candles! Our candles website can be reached at http://lightmyfireofnc.com.

Thank you again for taking the time to read about this awesome photo. I feel very fortunate to have been the one to bring this to you. Dale, we will never forget you as the “Man In Black…The Intimidator”!

Steve James